LINCOLN, Neb. — U.S. Sen. Mike Johanns of Nebraska announced Monday that he will not seek re-election in 2014, saying he wants a “quieter time” to focus on his family after a busy political career that included stints as governor and President George W. Bush’s agriculture secretary.
The Nebraska Republican announced that he was retiring from the Senate after one term. He said he and his wife, Stephanie, had decided that the time has come to end a 32-year career in public service that has spanned more than half of his life.
In an interview, Johanns rejected the notion that he was leaving because of heightened partisanship in the U.S. Senate.
“I’ve just always kind of had the attitude that you find ways to work together,” Johanns said. “I know what the polling shows with Congress’ approval ratings, and the anger and frustration that we all feel. But having said that, the people I worked with in the Senate were great. It wasn’t frustration. This was just a decision that it’s time.”
Johanns, 62, joined the U.S. Senate in 2009 and did not appear to face any reelection threat. He served as agriculture secretary under Bush and was Nebraska’s governor from 1999 to 2005.
The announcement came as a surprise to many GOP insiders. Several Republican office-holders praised Johanns for his collegiality and thoughtfulness in a deeply divided Washington. Johanns was a member of the Gang of Eight that tried to negotiate a federal deficit-reduction deal in 2011.
“I am personally grateful for Mike’s leadership in theSenate and all he has done in helping to smooth my transition,” said U.S. Sen. Deb Fischer, a Republican who was sworn in for her first term in January. “His rare mix of strong leadership and warm collegiality has earned him the respect and admiration of his colleagues on both sides of the aisle.”
Johanns’ decision to retire opens a new 2014 race in Nebraska, a solidly red state where Republicans hold all of the congressional seats.
His departure could leave an opening for Republican Gov. Dave Heineman, who is leaving office in 2015 because of term limits. Republican U.S. Reps. Jeff Fortenberry and Lee Terry of Nebraska have also been mentioned as possible candidates.
Heineman was courted by national party officials after Democratic U.S. Sen. Ben Nelson announced in2011 that he was retiring. But Heineman declined to enter the race at the time, saying he wanted to focus on his work as governor.
In a statement, Heineman called Johanns “a remarkably outstanding public official.”
“We are forever thankful for his commitment to serving our citizens, in particular, our farmers and ranchers, and our veterans,” the governor said.
Although he began his political career as a Democrat, Johanns has made a name for himself as a staunch conservative since his election to the Senate in 2008.
In his first year in the Senate, Johanns voted with the GOP 94 percent of the time, including opposing the confirmation of Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor. He opposed the 2010 health-care overhaul law championed by President Barack Obama, calling it bad policy even after theU.S. Supreme Court in 2012 upheld it as constitutional.
But unlike many Republicans, including Fischer, Johanns publicly backed former U.S. Sen. Chuck Hagel for secretary of defense.
In 2012, when it was revealed that the Environmental Protection Agency was using aerial surveillance to check farms in the Midwest for violations of federal cleanwater regulations, Johanns introduced an amendment to a multifaceted farm bill to stop the flights, but it fell four votes short of the 60 needed.
He began his foray into politics nearly three decades ago, when he was elected as a Democrat to the Lancaster County Board of Supervisors in southeast Nebraska. He switched parties in 1988, winning election as a Republican to the Lincoln City Council and, three years later, the city’s mayor.
Front Section, Pages 3 on 02/19/2013